The Telugu Desam Party has condemned the lathi-charge on the innocent farmers who were staging a ‘Rasta Roko’ for claiming Minimum Support Price for their produce at Denduluru constituency in Eluru of West Godavari district.

Former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu has written to Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy over the police highhandedness and appealed for ordering an enquiry into the incident and initiate action against the police officers who were responsible for the ‘inhuman’ lathi-charge.

Besides the farmers, an MLA Chintamaneni Prabhakar was also injured in the police attack which was headed by Eluru DSP of Saisekhar, Mr Naidu stated in his letter.

Despite the MLA appealing for arrangement of gunny bags which would satisfy the farmers, the police had attacked the farmers, the former chief minister pointed out.

In fact, Mr Prabhakar had reached the spot to pacify the farmers to call off their stir but he too came under the brutal attack by the police, the TDP chief pointed out.

Detailing media persons at the Secretariat after handing over the letter to the Chief Minister, TDP MLA Gali Muddukrishnama Naidu accused the police of taking arbitrary decision to attack the innocent farmers who were only protesting to realize their just demands.

The IKP centres in Denduluru did not supply the gunny bags a stipulated by the government. When they were peacefully agitating for procurement of their grains the police attacked them, Mr Muddukrishnama Naidu claimed.

He said it was shocking and unfortunate that such an incident was allowed to occur.